Centrist group backs Luis Salazar in HD 64

Democrat Luis Salazar has earned support from the Hillsborough Society, a centrist group that attracts and supports political candidates, in his bid for Florida House District 64.

Salazar, a Navy veteran and community advocate, is the current President of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s LGBTQ+ Caucus.

“Rarely do we see a candidate so perfectly suited to represent a district,” Hillsborough Society board member Stephen Shaiken said of the group’s support.

The Hillsborough Society touts itself as a truly centrist organization that does not follow one party line. The support from such a group could go a long way in a district currently represented by a Republican, but that elected a Democrat. Salazar is running to replace term-limited Republican Rep. Susan Valdés.

As an open race, HD 64 will likely garner a lot of attention. Valdés shocked Democrats last December when she announced she was switching political parties, saying the party was ignoring her. However, the move came less than a week after Valdés lost a bid to chair the Hillsborough County Democratic Party.

The district has a voter advantage for Democrats, who hold more than 37% of the electorate. Republican voters, meanwhile, account for nearly 29% of the district’s voters, according to the most recent L2 voter data.

“Service, teamwork, and putting people first are values I carry with me every day,” Salazar said of the endorsement, adding that “together we can bring meaningful progress to District 64.”

Originally from California and raised in Arizona, Salazar is a first-generation college graduate who is fluent in English and Spanish.

Salazar works in media and public engagement and has worked on various campaigns and initiatives promoting equality, equal representation and voter participation, in addition to his work on LGBTQ+ and Latino voter engagement and coalition building.

Salazar’s campaign platform includes expanding economic opportunity, strengthening public schools, defending reproductive freedom, supporting military families and veterans, and ensuring that hardworking Floridians can afford to live in the communities they serve.

He so far faces one other Democrat, former Tampa City Council member Mike Suarez.